Eli Roth as a
filmmaker is like Quentin Tarantino without the intelligence or finesse. All
that remains are references to grindhouse films of the 1970s and ‘80s, which
are often too similar to the original to be enjoyed as little more than homage.
With The Green Inferno, Roth tackled
the disturbing sub-genre of horror involving native cannibals in the
rainforests. The original films he has clearly been influenced by include Ruggero
Deodato’s “Cannibal Trilogy,” the second of which was originally titled ‘The
Green Inferno’ before switching to Cannibal
Holocaust.

Roth may have
stolen the title, but there are many things about Cannibal Holocaust that he can never duplicate, and those are the
things that make it so infamous. While Roth imitates and duplicates the scenes
of cannibalism with disturbing enthusiasm, the main reason that Cannibal Holocaust remains so timelessly
disturbing is due to the film’s animal deaths, all of which are real. Some of
this is merely cultural difference, as the locals view the creatures as
resources, but the way that the camera lingers and intrudes on this carnage is
the epitome of exploitation. And to that end, I must give Roth some credit for
being tasteless, shamelessly exploiting the very real issue of FGM for shock
value and entertainment when the consumption of flesh grows dull. He wisely
stays clear of animals, save a swarm of bad CGI ants, which serve as further
reminder of Roth simply playing at the realism Deodato had mastered.

Justine (Lorenza
Izzo) is a naïve college freshman who joins an elitist group of activists on a
trip to Peru
in hopes of making a difference. They plan a dangerous protest in the jungle,
live-streaming their efforts against the destruction of the rainforest, used as
pawns by their arrogant leader, Alejandro (Ariel Levy). Before the group has
time to celebrate their efforts, their small plane crashes deep in the jungle
and they find themselves captives of a hidden cannibalistic tribe. There are
differences in the surviving characters, some major and others simply nuanced,
but that is essentially all there is for plot. This is a survival narrative
that often feels more like torture porn, and it has a storyteller clearly
amused by the depravity.

The narrative
takes nearly 45-minutes to arrive in the camp of the cannibals, and then it
spends the second half of the running time dispatching of the remaining
characters in as many creative ways as possible. It would be too simple to have
them all killed and eaten in the same manner, so Roth’s disturbed creativity
becomes the central focus of the film between escape attempts. Roth backs
himself into a corner in the screenplay, but as a filmmaker he is as
bloodthirsty as the cannibals, and this seems to blind him. He succeeds on
replicating the horrors of cannibalism, but doesn’t spend enough time on the
story and characters to ensure we care about anything other than the realism in
the gore.

The Blu-ray
release includes a photo gallery of the tumultuous location shoot, which is
discussed in great detail amongst the cast and crew included on the feature
commentary track. I’m surprised that there is not also a making-of featurette
to go with this. The Blu-ray also comes with a Digital HD copy of the film.
Despite the shortcomings of the film’s narrative, The Green Inferno has an authentic look brought by the real-life
tribesmen used. Combine this with the cinematic scope of the locations and the
high definition becomes a much-needed asset to the storytelling.